Apukka Resort review: sleeping under the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi

Thinking of booking a glass igloo in Finnish Lapland? Here’s my honest Apukka Resort review, from the Kammi suite where I watched the sky turn green to the husky trail, plus every room type, the food, the activities and how to get there.

I’ll admit it: I went to Finland wanting to see the Northern Lights REAL BAD. I’d been on trips where they could have happened and just didn’t (Lofoten, I’m looking at you), so I stacked the odds. I booked Rovaniemi for March, right around the spring equinox, and I booked a glass-topped suite at Apukka, a lakeside resort just outside the city.

It paid off. I saw a mad geomagnetic storm, with the sky lit up green over the resort, and Apukka has been my top pick for a Northern Lights stay in Finland ever since. Here’s what it’s like to stay there, which room to book, and whether it’s worth the money.

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Apukka Resort at a glance

• Where: On the shore of Lake Olkka (Olkkajärvi), in the forest on the edge of Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland. It’s about 11 km from Rovaniemi Airport.
• Rooms: Glass-roofed Aurora Cabins in four sizes, two-storey Kammi and Komsio glass igloo suites, Lakeview Suites and a large private villa.
• Season: Open from August to early April. It closes from early April to the end of July.
• Best for: First-time aurora hunters, couples and families who want the glass roof, the activities and the restaurant all in one place.
• Price guide: From around €200 to €300 a night in autumn. In winter, expect from around €700 a night for the smallest glass cabins, with the suites above that and December the most expensive month of all. Breakfast is included.
• Where I stayed: A Lappish Kammi Suite (now called the Kammi Glass Igloo Suite).

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PS: Want to know how I plan a Northern Lights trip? Watch this video!

First impressions

Apukka sits in a clearing in the forest, with its glass-roofed cabins and suites spread out between the pines and the frozen lake. It feels properly remote, but it isn’t. You’re only around 10 to 15 minutes’ drive from the airport, roughly 15 to 20 minutes from the centre of Rovaniemi and about 10 minutes from Santa Claus Village.

That’s the real trick of the place. Lapland is a long way to come for a short trip, and a lot of the wilderness lodges further north mean another flight or a long transfer. Here, you can land in the afternoon and be lying under a glass roof by dinner.

The resort is set up around the main building, where you’ll find reception, the restaurant and the bar. The cabins closest to it are the easiest to reach in the snow, while the suites near the lake sit further from the lights of reception, which helps when you’re looking at the sky.

Room types

Every glass room at Apukka is built around the same idea: you lie in bed and look straight up at the sky. The glass is heated, so snow and frost melt off rather than blocking your view, and there are blackout curtains for when you actually want to sleep. There’s no TV, so pack a book.

All the glass rooms come with a private bathroom, an electric fireplace, Wi-Fi, air conditioning and tea and coffee.

Kammi Glass Igloo Suite (where I stayed)

I stayed for four nights in a Lappish Kammi Suite, now sold as the Kammi Glass Igloo Suite, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a glass-topped dome over two floors, filled with cosy furnishings, with the fireplace keeping me nice and toasty.

The beds were uber comfortable, which was much needed after a day of snowmobiling, and the kitchenette was fully equipped with everything I needed for a comfortable stay.

Downstairs, there’s a living area with two sofa beds, the kitchenette (hob, microwave, fridge, kettle and coffee maker) and the bathroom. Upstairs is the “nest”: a bed for two under a full glass dome with a 360-degree view of the sky. The Kammi suites sleep up to four, which makes them a good pick for a family with younger children too.

This is the room I’d recommend if you can stretch to it. A proper living space downstairs makes a real difference when it’s well below freezing outside and you’re coming and going in layers all day.

Komsio Glass Igloo Suite

The Komsio is the Kammi’s smaller sibling, and it’s designed for couples. It’s also on two levels, with a sitting area, sofa bed and bathroom downstairs and a bed under a 360-degree glass ceiling upstairs. There’s no kitchenette, so you’ll be eating in the restaurant.

Aurora Cabins

The Aurora Cabins are Apukka’s classic glass igloos and the most affordable way to sleep under a glass roof here. They come in four sizes:

• Aurora Cabin: The standard glass cabin, with a pull-out sofa. These are the closest to reception and the restaurant.
• Aurora Cabin Queen: A little larger, at around 24 m², with a queen bed and a spot closer to the lake.
• Aurora Cabin King: The newest and largest of the couples’ cabins, at around 27 m², with a king bed and a small living area.
• Aurora Cabin Family: Sleeps up to six, with a king bed, a double bed and a sofa bed, and views across Lake Olkka.

Lakeview Suites and Villa Apukka

If you’re travelling as a bigger group, the Apukka Lakeview Suites sleep up to six, with two bedrooms, a full kitchen and big windows facing the lake. Villa Apukka is a historic Lappish house for up to 14 people, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a fireplace and its own private sauna.

Neither has a glass roof, so you’ll be stepping outside to watch the lights. With the lake right there, that’s no hardship.

The Northern Lights from your room

Take it from me: nothing beats staring at the sky from the comfort of a warm bed while the sky puts on a show. Apukka’s position is a big part of that. It’s close to town, but it’s far enough out in the forest, with the lake opening up the sky, that light pollution isn’t a problem once you’re away from the main building.

The night I’d been waiting for came during that March trip: a mad geomagnetic storm, with green curtains of light rippling across the sky above the cabins. I watched it through the glass and then headed out onto the snow with my camera.

It wasn’t my only sighting, either. Over four nights, I saw the lights out in the resort, through the glass roof in the middle of the night, and on a reindeer excursion, where it was just me and the guide out in the middle of nowhere, with the aurora dancing above the lavvu.

A glass roof is not a guarantee, though. The lights still need a clear sky and enough geomagnetic activity, and you can stay three nights and see nothing. A few things will give you the best chance:

• Time your trip. I picked March on purpose. Geomagnetic activity tends to be stronger around the spring and autumn equinoxes, and late winter often brings clearer skies than December.
• Chase clear skies, not the lights. Cloud is your real enemy. I keep an eye on the Aurora app for activity and on Windy.com Premium for hourly cloud cover.
• Stay up late. The busiest hours are usually between 11 pm and 2 am. Set an alarm and check the sky.
• Book a hunt if it’s cloudy. If the cloud is sitting over the resort, a guided hunt will drive you to wherever the sky is clearest.

For more on timing, read my guide to the best time to see the Northern Lights and my Northern Lights tips.

Restaurant and food

Apukka has two restaurants and a bar, which matters when the nearest alternative is a taxi ride away.

• Aitta: The main restaurant, in a century-old building with a big stone fireplace. It serves the buffet breakfast, a bistro lunch and Nordic dinners built around local ingredients (sautéed reindeer is the Lappish classic). Dinner runs in set seatings, so book your table when you arrive.
• Kota: A small restaurant in a traditional Lappish kota, set around an open fire, serving a set Lappish menu. It usually needs booking ahead, and it’s the one to save for a special night.
• Riihi: The lobby bar, with drinks and a bistro menu in the evenings.

Breakfast is included in the room rate. Dinner isn’t, unless you book a half-board package, and eating here every night adds up, so factor it into your budget. If you’re in a Kammi suite, the kitchenette is a handy way to cut costs for lunch, or to make a hot chocolate before a late night watching the sky. Pick up supplies in town on your way in.

Activities at Apukka

My biggest tip for any Lapland trip is to fill your days. The aurora only comes out at night, and there’s nothing worse than sitting in your room all day waiting for it. One of Apukka’s big draws is that it runs most of its activities itself, from husky and reindeer safaris to snowmobiling and aurora hunts, so you can walk out of your cabin and straight onto a trail.

Guests also get free use of winter clothing (thermal overalls and boots), which saves a lot of packing.

Husky sledding

I did Apukka’s self-driven husky adventure and absolutely loved it. It was one of the highlights of my trip. You drive your own team of huskies along a 6 km trail through the forest, with time to meet the dogs and a hot drink afterwards. Allow around three and a half hours in all.

There’s also a shorter husky farm visit if you’d rather just meet the dogs, and in autumn, before the snow arrives, the huskies pull a wheeled cart instead of a sled.

Book the Apukka Husky Adventure Here

Snowmobiling

I spent a brilliant day bombing across the snow on a snowmobile, and it’s the perfect counterpoint to a slow, quiet night under the glass. Apukka runs snowmobile safaris into the wilderness for beginners, plus a family version where the adults drive and the kids ride behind in a sled. If you’d rather go with an outside operator, this snowmobile safari is a good option.

Reindeer

Apukka’s reindeer activities range from a traditional reindeer sleigh ride to a walk with the reindeer, or a shorter session meeting them and feeding them lichen. It’s a gentler experience than the huskies, and a lovely one for younger children.

Aurora hunts and the Snowtrain

If the sky over the resort is cloudy, Apukka runs guided aurora hunts by car, and in winter there’s the Snowtrain: a sled train pulled by the guide’s snowmobile out to a traditional Lappish kota in the wilderness, where you wait for the lights. In autumn, the Aurora Train makes a similar trip to a campfire camp in the forest.

If you want a smaller group with a photographer, this small-group Northern Lights hunt runs out of Rovaniemi.

Sauna and ice dipping

This is Finland, so of course there’s a sauna. Apukka’s wood-heated Lakeside Sauna sits right on Lake Olkka, with a dock for a cold plunge through a hole in the ice between rounds. It’s booked as a private session, so it’s a good one to share with friends or family.

Ice floating

Apukka doesn’t run ice floating itself, but several Rovaniemi operators do. You zip into a floating suit and lie back in a hole cut in a frozen lake, gazing up at the sky. This ice floating experience has an evening option with aurora watching. Its pickups cover places within about 10 km of the city centre, so check it can collect you from Apukka before you book.

For more ideas, see my guide to the best things to do in Rovaniemi.

Getting there

Rovaniemi Airport is about 11 km from the resort, around 10 to 15 minutes by car. Finnair flies to Rovaniemi via Helsinki all year, and in winter several airlines add seasonal direct flights from elsewhere in Europe. If you’d rather go overland, the overnight train from Helsinki arrives at Rovaniemi station, about 19 km from the resort.

From the airport, you can take a taxi or ask the resort to arrange a transfer when you book. Confirm the price in advance, as it varies by group size. Once you’re there, the Apukka Shuttle Bus runs several times a day between the resort, Santa Claus Village and the centre of Rovaniemi, for around €8 each way.

You don’t need a car to stay here, as the activities collect you from the resort. If you do hire one, parking is free, and it gives you the freedom to chase clear skies on your own.

Check-in is from 4 pm and check-out is by noon.

Who it suits

Apukka is great for:

• First-time visitors to Lapland who want the glass roof, the activities and the food all in one place, without a long transfer.
• Couples, who’ll love the Komsio and Kammi suites.
• Families, thanks to the Kammi suites, the Family cabins and the gentler activities like reindeer rides and the family snowmobile safari.
• Groups, who can take a Lakeview Suite or the whole villa.

It’s less suited to:

• Travellers on a tight budget. The rooms, the dinners and the activities all add up.
• Anyone who wants to walk to bars and restaurants in town in the evening.
• Anyone who wants to sleep in an ice room. For that, look at the Arctic SnowHotel (below).

The pros and cons

What I loved:

• Lying in bed under the glass while the sky did its thing.
• The Kammi suite: two floors of space, a kitchenette and a seriously comfortable bed.
• Having huskies, reindeer, snowmobiles and aurora hunts right on the doorstep.
• How easy it is to reach, with the airport and Santa Claus Village a short drive away.

What to know before you book:

• It’s expensive, and the activities and dinners are extra.
• The cabins sit quite close together, which I didn’t love. If your neighbour has their lights on, it spoils your view of the sky.
• The lights around the main building affect the cabins nearest reception, so ask for a room near the lake if the sky is your priority.
• It’s closed from early April until the end of July, so there’s no Midnight Sun stay here.

How it compares

Rovaniemi has plenty of glass igloos now, so here’s how Apukka stacks up against three of the best known.

• Arctic TreeHouse Hotel: Suites on stilts among the pine trees, a short walk from Santa Claus Village, with a huge panoramic window rather than a glass roof. It’s more design hotel than wilderness resort.
• Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle: Glass igloos a couple of hundred metres from Santa Claus Village and about five minutes from the airport. Brilliant if Santa is the main event, but you’re right next to one of Lapland’s busiest attractions.
• Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos: In Sinettä, about half an hour from Rovaniemi. It pairs glass igloos with a snow hotel that’s rebuilt every winter, so you can sleep in both on one trip.

Apukka sits between them: more of a lakeside escape than the Santa Claus Village options, but far easier to reach than the wilderness lodges. For more aurora stays across the region, see my guide to the best places to see the Northern Lights in Finland.

Is Apukka Resort worth it?

For me, yes. I absolutely loved my stay and I’d highly recommend it. It’s not cheap, but you’re paying for something genuinely special: a warm bed under a glass dome, right in the Lapland forest, with everything you need for a full-on winter adventure on the doorstep.

If you’re going to splash out on one Northern Lights hotel, time it for the equinox, book a suite near the lake and fill your days with huskies and snowmobiles. Then let the sky do its thing.

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Read more Northern Lights and Lapland guides

• Things to do in Rovaniemi, Finland
• Where to see the Northern Lights in Finland (and when to go)
• When’s the best time to see the Northern Lights?
• How to see the Northern Lights: my top tips
• Finland in winter
• ÆRA Tromsø hotel review
• Chasing the Northern Lights in Tromsø

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